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| Finally out! |
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| The lopsided shape will even out in a few days |
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| 16 g of pure cuteness |
Showing posts with label Lady. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lady. Show all posts
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Lady's first egg hatched today!
Lady's first egg finally hatched! She is a healthy and perfect little Russian tortoise hatchling, and weighs 16g.
This wee baby had NO hurry to get out of her egg. She didn't pip until day 68, and then she sat in there, looking out of the little hole she had made, for 3 days! When we came home from church today, she was finally out of her egg.
She was rolled diagonally inside the egg, so she is still quite lopsided, but that will even out as her shell hardens, and she'll be a normal little oval baby. Look at her little nuchal scute (it's the one right above her head) - it's split in half, making it look like a perfect little heart!
She is dark, and very domed. Her Mom and Dad are both sunflower yellow with black markings, and very domed, so she's going to be a beauty!
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Lady gets some outdoor time
Our outdoor tortoise enclosure for the Russian tortoises is still not quite finished (soon! Oh so soon!), so the tortoises have to take turns spending time outside in make-shift roaming areas. I leaned boards together, propped up with other boards and rocks and other things, to prevent escaping.
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| Lady ate those daisies right after I took the picture |
Lady loves to walk around and graze. It is surely no accident that she is this huge! That girl can EAT!
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| Lady, finding more flowers to eat. |
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| Look who found a hot spot in the rocks. |
How to build a tortoise table out of a bookshelf - Tutorial with pictures!
Lady, our newest rescue, was in need of a nice enclosure. For the first month with us, we kept her in an XL cement mixing tub, since she was too large for the rubbermaid bins I usually put new rescues in while they are in quarantine.
Tortoises need space to dig, live, eat, explore, bask, and sleep. Ideally, we provide them with an outdoor enclosure where they can spend the warm months. Here in the Pacific Northwest we have a lot of cold rainy days each year, so a good, roomy indoor enclosure is important as well.
People often ask me what the 'minimum size' for a tortoise enclosure is. I tell them, as large as they possibly can make it. The ABSOLUTE minimum is 4ft x 2ft, and this would be for just one fairly small tortoise. In an enclosure this size, I have found that it is difficult to create the micro-climates a tortoise needs (hot basking spot, water dish, cool end, hides, feeding area etc). Owners who keep their tortoise in a small enclosure often complain that their tortoise either paces non-stop, or that the tortoise is 'boring' because it never does anything interesting.
Buying an enclosure large enough has the potential to break the bank - however, there are cheaper, easier, and much more awesome options! Today I am going to show you how you can make a very nice tortoise table out of a 2nd hand bookshelf.
Step1: buy a shelf. I found this nice 4ft x 3ft oak and oak veneer shelf on Craigslist for $30. It matches our other furniture nicely. The 3 shelves are removable. I used 2 of the shelves to fashion the legs of the tortoise table. I used the remaining one as the roof to the hide box.
Since you are working with a pre-existing shelf, you don't really need to know much about carpentry to do this project. If you don't sink a cement mixing tub into the floor like I did (for deeper digging), you don't even have to worry about creating legs.
I removed the backing, since it was made out of super flimsy material. I had to pull out the staples that fastened it. If the shelf you get has a more sturdy back, then you can leave it on.
Step 2: Cut plywood (found in our garage) to the proper size of the back of the shelf for the floor.
I used the shelf boards for legs in a later step. To account for this, on the short ends I deducted the thickness of 2 shelves from the length (so the shelf is 48", and the shelves were each 5/8ths of an inch thick. So I cut the wood 1 1/4 inches smaller than the 48"). I'll explain why later. If you don't plan to make legs, don't worry about it, and just cut the wood to fit the shelf back exactly.
Step 3: Trace the outline of the cement mixing tub. I made mine a little fancier than it needs to be, with a cement mixing tub sunken into the middle, to provide deeper soil for Lady to dig in.
Step 4: Measure the 'lip' of the mixing tub and draw a line inside the traced line. This way when you cut the hole, the lip will rest on the wood, and the tub will be sunken through the hole.
Step 5: Ask a friend who has a jig saw to cut the hole into the wood. (That's right, I out-sourced) The drywall-cutting attachment of a Dremel would work fine for this, too... but I happened to have a friend with a jig saw handy.
Step 6: Use a belt sander or file to smooth the edges of the hole, so that the tub slides smoothly into it. You want the edges to be completely flush. I drew the inside line a little too small, so this was more work than it needed to be. After you finish, sweep off the board so there is no sawdust left on it.
Step 7: Attach the flooring material.
Using a good adhesive, glue down some vinyl flooring. I found some vinyl bathroom floor in our attic that worked fine. For previous projects I went to the local non-chain carpet store, and bought a huge remnant piece for $12. That was enough to cover the floors of several tortoise tables.
Measure the size of the vinyl first. You will need to place the shelf walls on the floor floor board (the way it will be later when assembled) and trace the line up to where the vinyl needs to go at the edges. It needs to stop before it touches the inside walls of the enclosure. The adhesive (I used Tuff Stuff) will likely need to dry for 24hrs. I put cement pavers on it to help weight it down.
Step 8: Attach the floor of the enclosure to the shelf using wood glue as well as screws. First position it correctly, so that the shelves that you will use as legs fit nicely on each end. The 'pretty' side of the shelf wood facing out, it should fit flushly. You can see what I mean in the picture in step 9.
Make sure you drill pilot holes for the screws.
Since I wanted to have the cement mixing tub, which I knew would be heavy, I built a little frame out of 1x2s that I happened to have in our garage. I drilled pilot holes through this little frame, and attached the floor to the shelf walls with screws that go through the 1x2s, through the floor, into the shelf walls.
Step 9: Using the shelf boards, make legs! :)
I used screws (from the inside side) to attach the two shelves (pretty side out) to the 1x2 of the little frame I built. I also used L-brackets at the corners for extra stability. I was going to attach little 1x2 legs behind the 'shelf legs' but found that it was so sturdy, this wasn't necessary. *click on the picture to see a larger version
If you look closely, you will see that I attached a skinny little 1x2 piece as an additional leg in the middle. I didn't want to risk the weight being too much for the floor to support. I used an L-bracket.
Step 10: Sealing the edges. This is done to protect the wood from moisture (substrate, excrement, water dish spills etc).
First, flip the table over so it is right-side-up. It already looks pretty awesome, don't you think?
In previous tortoise tables, I used silicone caulking to seal the edges. I didn't have caulk on hand today, and wanted to forge ahead with the project, so I went on a search for alternative solutions in our garage. I came up with this 'Shurtape' which is the modern new-and-improved version of duct tape (Random fact: did you know that traditional duct tape is not supposed to be used for ducts any more?! It has been deemed a fire hazard, and it also turns un-sticky with temperature fluctuations). Shurtape is AWESOME because it sticks for about 1000 years, even in different temperatures. Unrolling carefully as I stuck it on, I coated each edge. The tape folds nicely in the corner between the floor and the wall, I cut it at each vertical corner. Then I put a second small piece into each vertical corner, so that the edges were flush. I cut small pieces for the rounded corners of the hole, too.
Then I ran one more layer of tape along the bottom of all 4 walls, all one piece. This way the substrate won't damage the walls.
This was so much quicker and easier than caulking... though not as pretty. I used the handles of the scissors to smooth the tape, to make sure it stuck to all the little bumps of the vinyl flooring and the wood.
Step 11: Insert the tub! Lady is a very large female, and I hope some day she will lay eggs. Providing her with deep soil to dig in will also be fun for her, since Russian tortoises love to dig and burrow.
Step 12: Using Shurtape, tape around the edge of the tub, attaching it firmly to the floor of the tortoise table, as well as sealing the crack so no substrate etc. can fall through. Darn, I was so eager to finish that I forgot to take a picture.
Step 13: Put in substrate (I chose to use organic soil, but coconut coir, bought as bricks and mixed with water, is a great choice, too). Put some flat rocks in the basking area, and a water dish. I like using pyrex baking dishes or pie pans (from Goodwill) since they are shallow enough for the tortoise to get out, and easy to wash. I still need to put some river rocks around the water dish to help keep the substrate out of it.
Step 14: Using one of the shelf boards, make a little hide house. I used the pegs that had originally held the shelf up. I just inserted them so the shelf is held up horizontally, and slid it in. I'll cut a small piece of wood to cover part of the front later. For now I also put Lady's little cardboard hide, just to give her something she was familiar with.
Step 15: Attach lights (I still need to attach a 'gallows' type contraption so I can safely suspend the basking lamp above Lady's basking spot - but it was late, so I just clamped the lamp to the edge for today. I also need to attach the UVB lamp properly.
Step 16: Insert tortoise! ;)
I hope this helps, and that you have fun!
The REALLY easy version of making an enclosure out of a shelf can go as follows: Get shelf. Take out shelves. Line inside with a tarp or pond liner, attached with Shurtape and staple gun. Put in substrate. Attach lights. Put in tortoises.
Ps: If you have the space, you could use a really large shelf. I wanted to use a 6ft long shelf, but the husband objected to giving up that much real estate of the living room floor. I didn't want to push it, since he so kindly 'lets' me have all these tortoises... So 3ft x 4ft had to do. A longer shelf would probably need more support framing, if you choose the option of sinking the cement mixing tub into the floor. Or you could make a 2x4 wooden frame to hold it up. I also know people who just used cinder blocks.
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| Lady, chowing down on a mix of plantain weed, dandelion, and miner's lettuce |
People often ask me what the 'minimum size' for a tortoise enclosure is. I tell them, as large as they possibly can make it. The ABSOLUTE minimum is 4ft x 2ft, and this would be for just one fairly small tortoise. In an enclosure this size, I have found that it is difficult to create the micro-climates a tortoise needs (hot basking spot, water dish, cool end, hides, feeding area etc). Owners who keep their tortoise in a small enclosure often complain that their tortoise either paces non-stop, or that the tortoise is 'boring' because it never does anything interesting.
Buying an enclosure large enough has the potential to break the bank - however, there are cheaper, easier, and much more awesome options! Today I am going to show you how you can make a very nice tortoise table out of a 2nd hand bookshelf.
Step1: buy a shelf. I found this nice 4ft x 3ft oak and oak veneer shelf on Craigslist for $30. It matches our other furniture nicely. The 3 shelves are removable. I used 2 of the shelves to fashion the legs of the tortoise table. I used the remaining one as the roof to the hide box.
 |
| 4ft x 3ft bookshelf... |
I removed the backing, since it was made out of super flimsy material. I had to pull out the staples that fastened it. If the shelf you get has a more sturdy back, then you can leave it on.
Step 2: Cut plywood (found in our garage) to the proper size of the back of the shelf for the floor.
I used the shelf boards for legs in a later step. To account for this, on the short ends I deducted the thickness of 2 shelves from the length (so the shelf is 48", and the shelves were each 5/8ths of an inch thick. So I cut the wood 1 1/4 inches smaller than the 48"). I'll explain why later. If you don't plan to make legs, don't worry about it, and just cut the wood to fit the shelf back exactly.
Step 3: Trace the outline of the cement mixing tub. I made mine a little fancier than it needs to be, with a cement mixing tub sunken into the middle, to provide deeper soil for Lady to dig in.
 |
| The cement mixing tub is optional... but nice! |
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| The darker line is the inside line, where the hole will be cut. The outside (lighter) line is where I traced around the tub. |
Step 6: Use a belt sander or file to smooth the edges of the hole, so that the tub slides smoothly into it. You want the edges to be completely flush. I drew the inside line a little too small, so this was more work than it needed to be. After you finish, sweep off the board so there is no sawdust left on it.
Step 7: Attach the flooring material.
Using a good adhesive, glue down some vinyl flooring. I found some vinyl bathroom floor in our attic that worked fine. For previous projects I went to the local non-chain carpet store, and bought a huge remnant piece for $12. That was enough to cover the floors of several tortoise tables.
Measure the size of the vinyl first. You will need to place the shelf walls on the floor floor board (the way it will be later when assembled) and trace the line up to where the vinyl needs to go at the edges. It needs to stop before it touches the inside walls of the enclosure. The adhesive (I used Tuff Stuff) will likely need to dry for 24hrs. I put cement pavers on it to help weight it down.
Step 8: Attach the floor of the enclosure to the shelf using wood glue as well as screws. First position it correctly, so that the shelves that you will use as legs fit nicely on each end. The 'pretty' side of the shelf wood facing out, it should fit flushly. You can see what I mean in the picture in step 9.
Make sure you drill pilot holes for the screws.
Since I wanted to have the cement mixing tub, which I knew would be heavy, I built a little frame out of 1x2s that I happened to have in our garage. I drilled pilot holes through this little frame, and attached the floor to the shelf walls with screws that go through the 1x2s, through the floor, into the shelf walls.
Step 9: Using the shelf boards, make legs! :)
I used screws (from the inside side) to attach the two shelves (pretty side out) to the 1x2 of the little frame I built. I also used L-brackets at the corners for extra stability. I was going to attach little 1x2 legs behind the 'shelf legs' but found that it was so sturdy, this wasn't necessary. *click on the picture to see a larger version
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| The tortoise table is upside down, this is the bottom. |
Step 10: Sealing the edges. This is done to protect the wood from moisture (substrate, excrement, water dish spills etc).
First, flip the table over so it is right-side-up. It already looks pretty awesome, don't you think?
In previous tortoise tables, I used silicone caulking to seal the edges. I didn't have caulk on hand today, and wanted to forge ahead with the project, so I went on a search for alternative solutions in our garage. I came up with this 'Shurtape' which is the modern new-and-improved version of duct tape (Random fact: did you know that traditional duct tape is not supposed to be used for ducts any more?! It has been deemed a fire hazard, and it also turns un-sticky with temperature fluctuations). Shurtape is AWESOME because it sticks for about 1000 years, even in different temperatures. Unrolling carefully as I stuck it on, I coated each edge. The tape folds nicely in the corner between the floor and the wall, I cut it at each vertical corner. Then I put a second small piece into each vertical corner, so that the edges were flush. I cut small pieces for the rounded corners of the hole, too.
Then I ran one more layer of tape along the bottom of all 4 walls, all one piece. This way the substrate won't damage the walls.
 |
| The edges are taped with Shurtape. |
This was so much quicker and easier than caulking... though not as pretty. I used the handles of the scissors to smooth the tape, to make sure it stuck to all the little bumps of the vinyl flooring and the wood.
Step 11: Insert the tub! Lady is a very large female, and I hope some day she will lay eggs. Providing her with deep soil to dig in will also be fun for her, since Russian tortoises love to dig and burrow.
 |
| The tub is in! |
Step 12: Using Shurtape, tape around the edge of the tub, attaching it firmly to the floor of the tortoise table, as well as sealing the crack so no substrate etc. can fall through. Darn, I was so eager to finish that I forgot to take a picture.
Step 13: Put in substrate (I chose to use organic soil, but coconut coir, bought as bricks and mixed with water, is a great choice, too). Put some flat rocks in the basking area, and a water dish. I like using pyrex baking dishes or pie pans (from Goodwill) since they are shallow enough for the tortoise to get out, and easy to wash. I still need to put some river rocks around the water dish to help keep the substrate out of it.
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| Almost done. I will put in river rocks around the water dish tomorrow, as well as properly attaching the lights. |
Step 14: Using one of the shelf boards, make a little hide house. I used the pegs that had originally held the shelf up. I just inserted them so the shelf is held up horizontally, and slid it in. I'll cut a small piece of wood to cover part of the front later. For now I also put Lady's little cardboard hide, just to give her something she was familiar with.
Step 15: Attach lights (I still need to attach a 'gallows' type contraption so I can safely suspend the basking lamp above Lady's basking spot - but it was late, so I just clamped the lamp to the edge for today. I also need to attach the UVB lamp properly.
Step 16: Insert tortoise! ;)
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| Lady seems to really like her new space! 100% better than the old mixing tub... |
The REALLY easy version of making an enclosure out of a shelf can go as follows: Get shelf. Take out shelves. Line inside with a tarp or pond liner, attached with Shurtape and staple gun. Put in substrate. Attach lights. Put in tortoises.
Ps: If you have the space, you could use a really large shelf. I wanted to use a 6ft long shelf, but the husband objected to giving up that much real estate of the living room floor. I didn't want to push it, since he so kindly 'lets' me have all these tortoises... So 3ft x 4ft had to do. A longer shelf would probably need more support framing, if you choose the option of sinking the cement mixing tub into the floor. Or you could make a 2x4 wooden frame to hold it up. I also know people who just used cinder blocks.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Working hard, building the new outdoor enclosure
In past Summers, the Russian tortoises have spent a lot of time outside in the sun, either roaming (under supervision) the lawn, or in large rubbermaid bins, the kid pool (without water) etc. - this year I decided it was time to put a more permanent outdoor enclosure in place. The west-facing flowerbeds seemed to be a good option, so I am working on converting them.
I got some 4-ft sections of pressure treated lumber from one of our neighbors. They aren't the ideal size to work with, but it is hard to argue with 'free' and so I am making it work.
You may notice that I have irises growing in the area where the tortoises will be. Those will all be dug up before any tortoises are allowed in there... I'm just waiting for them to finish blooming. I want to transplant the 'fancy' irises, and will give away the 'normal' ones.
I have already planted or transplanted many tortoise safe plants into this area, and I also seeded it with the Tortoise Lady's seed mix (thank you, Lynne!). I'll still have to supplement with tortoise food I collect, but I am sure the tortoises will have fun chomping down on the good edible greens!
Russian tortoises are incredible diggers, so when building an outdoor enclosure, it is important to make sure the tortoises will not escape. On the end (not shown here) I dug a deep trench and placed the pavers in there vertically. This took me nearly 6 hours for a 5-ft section... the soil was pure clay below the flower bed soil, with lots of rocks. I decided on a different solution in the front, 30-ft section: I dug the trench down to where the really rocky clay soil begins, about 6-8 inches, and then filled the trench with river rock. I anchored the cedar support posts in the rock, and placed cement pavers over top the trench. The pavers sit below the wood, so if the tortoises try to dig at the wooden edge, they will get nowhere.
Not wanting to waste a perfectly good sunny day, I used some of the lumber to build some make-shift pens for the Russian tortoises. The one in the back was for Lady, who is still in quarantine. The one in the front has the other Russian tortoises in it. The plastic pans that I usually use for soaking provided good shade and shelter.
I took close-ups of all the tortoises, but only Mila's picture really turned out today. Do you see where the dark pigmentation is starting to grow into the bright yellow new growth? Yay for UVB!
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| The wooden structure is about 1/2 done. It will be 5ft x 30ft. |
You may notice that I have irises growing in the area where the tortoises will be. Those will all be dug up before any tortoises are allowed in there... I'm just waiting for them to finish blooming. I want to transplant the 'fancy' irises, and will give away the 'normal' ones.
I have already planted or transplanted many tortoise safe plants into this area, and I also seeded it with the Tortoise Lady's seed mix (thank you, Lynne!). I'll still have to supplement with tortoise food I collect, but I am sure the tortoises will have fun chomping down on the good edible greens!
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| I dug a 'no-escape' trench, and filled it with river rock. |
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| The Russian tortoises got to play inside the makeshift pens while I worked |
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| Mila, enjoying the sunshine. |
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
New HUGE female Russian tortoise
Getting another Russian tortoise really wasn't part of my plan... but then I met Lady, the XXL-sized female Testudo horsfieldi. Before seeing her in person I had no idea she was this big. She comes with an interesting story - more about that below (for those of you who are interested). We named her Lady, short for Lady Liberty, because she was found roaming free.
When I first brought Lady home and weighed her before soaking her, she looked dehydrated and weighed 1014g (The picture above is of her hydrated weight!). I soaked her (she drank and drank!), fed her (she ate an entire HUGE dandelion plant, some dead-nettle, and some wild geranium , and put her under the heat lamp. She spent the rest of the day dozing under the warm light.
This morning when I weighed her again after her soak, she weighed a whopping 1076g. I did a double-take, checked my scale, and weighed again. Yep 1076g was right. Originally, I was planning just to foster her, but considering her magnificent size, I just can't let her go. She's in quarantine for 6 months, but will get a partition of the outdoor enclosure, and by winter I'll have built her a nice big indoor enclosure, too. She's too big to share with the others, but next Spring I plan to introduce our male to her for a little honeymooning.
Now her story:
I saw a post on Craigslist that a tortoise had been found wandering on the street. The finder was looking for the previous owner. Mind you, we live in the cold, rainy Pacific Northwest. I sent the woman a message stating that this certainly was not one of mine, but that I could care for it for her, and if it was female keep it, otherwise find a good home (after de-worming and ensuring it was healthy). The finder said she would wait first to see if someone answered her ad or the papers she hung around the neighborhood. Then on Sunday evening I got a message from her stating that the old owner did indeed contact her, but that this person was very rude and had stated that she had purposefully set the tortoise free so it could "live more happily in the wild." *WTH?* The finder had the presence of mind to offer finding a new home for the tortoise... so she offered it to me. I asked her for some pics, and this was obviously a female (stubby wedge shaped tail), but the I couldn't tell how big she was.
When I got to the finder's house and saw the tortoise, I did a double-take, because this tortoise was SO BIG. She is 7+ inches, and almost as wide as she is long. I expected her to be longer when I measured her, because she looks so big and heavy, but a lot of her weight comes from her width - my guess is that she is of the Kazachstani subgroup.
Interestingly, for all the previous neglect, her shell is actually in good shape, and so is her beak. She has some wear on her plastron, and I did treat a few spots of shell rot. The old owner just let her wander the yard all Summer, and kept her in a box or something during the winter. But at least she got real UV and good weeds to eat during the warm season. She was dehydrated when I got her, but overall seems to be healthy. And have I mentioned that she is huge?
In case you are wondering why she is on brown paper bags, she has worms, so I'm treating her with Panacur. As soon as she is all clear, she will get wonderful, soft coconut coir to burrow in!
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| That's right. She weighs 1076g... and is actually a little skinny! |
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| Lady, chowing down on a pile of weeds |
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| Lady, basking - I wonder how long it's been since she was warm? |
I saw a post on Craigslist that a tortoise had been found wandering on the street. The finder was looking for the previous owner. Mind you, we live in the cold, rainy Pacific Northwest. I sent the woman a message stating that this certainly was not one of mine, but that I could care for it for her, and if it was female keep it, otherwise find a good home (after de-worming and ensuring it was healthy). The finder said she would wait first to see if someone answered her ad or the papers she hung around the neighborhood. Then on Sunday evening I got a message from her stating that the old owner did indeed contact her, but that this person was very rude and had stated that she had purposefully set the tortoise free so it could "live more happily in the wild." *WTH?* The finder had the presence of mind to offer finding a new home for the tortoise... so she offered it to me. I asked her for some pics, and this was obviously a female (stubby wedge shaped tail), but the I couldn't tell how big she was.
When I got to the finder's house and saw the tortoise, I did a double-take, because this tortoise was SO BIG. She is 7+ inches, and almost as wide as she is long. I expected her to be longer when I measured her, because she looks so big and heavy, but a lot of her weight comes from her width - my guess is that she is of the Kazachstani subgroup.
Interestingly, for all the previous neglect, her shell is actually in good shape, and so is her beak. She has some wear on her plastron, and I did treat a few spots of shell rot. The old owner just let her wander the yard all Summer, and kept her in a box or something during the winter. But at least she got real UV and good weeds to eat during the warm season. She was dehydrated when I got her, but overall seems to be healthy. And have I mentioned that she is huge?
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| Lady, all clean after a soak, with a VS card for size comparison. |
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